Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Slavens originally appeared in Gaelic as O Sleibhin or O'Sleibhin, derived from "sliabh," which means "mountain," and was a symbolic name for the Chief of this Clann.

Slavens Early Origins

The surname Slavens was first found in Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Slavens Spelling Variations

Slavens Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. Since the general population did not know how to read or write, they could only specify how their names should be recorded orally. Research into the name Slavens revealed spelling variations, including Slavin, Slaving, Slevin, Sleving, Slevan, Sleavin and many more.

Slavens Early History

Slavens Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Slavens research. Another 267 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Slavens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Slavens Early Notables (pre 1700)

Slavens Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Slavens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North Ameri ca. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Slavens family came to North America quite early:

The Slavens Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Slavens Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.